Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary 2 School


Jenna Grossman

INTRODUCTION:
Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary 2 School consists of 80 students in kindergarten and first grade. It opened in 2011 with only kindergarten, but in 2012 first graders were added. In the state of Rhode Island, only 6% receive an ESL or bilingual education but in this school 29%. The majority of the population in this school is hispanic children, mixed with white students, African American, Asian, Native American, and Multiracial. This school has a 97% attendance rate and 0% chronic absenteeism, which beats the rate throughout the state which is 17%. This school is overall extremely stable.
Year
This School
Statewide
Details
Stability Index (Elementary Schools)
2011-12
93%
87%

Mobility Index (Elementary Schools)
2011-12
7%
14%



Year
This School
Statewide
Details
Attendance Rate (Elementary Schools)
2011-12
97%
95%
view details
view details

Chronic Absenteeism
2011-12
0%
17%

DAILY SCHEDULE:
At Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary 2 School, students have a very coordinated daily schedule. The goal of the school is to help children who are scholars, and will one day attend a university. Every program in the school is designed to incorporate a strong foundational diverse culture. The classes are supposed to be rigorous for students and include art and physical activity. 62.2% of parents agree that this school has an adequit art program and sports program for students.
Sample Daily Schedule
7:40-8:10
Arrival, Breakfast, and Morning Work
8:10-8:40
Classroom Community Meeting
8:40-9:00
School Community Meeting
9:00-9:30
Phonics
9:30-10:10
Special (Art, Music, or P.E.)
10:10-10:15
Snack
10:15-10:50
Read Aloud/Vocabulary
10:50-12:10
Small Group Reading
12:10-12:40
Lunch
12:40-12:55
Recess
12:55-1:45
Math
1:45-2:30
Special (Art, Music, or P.E.)
2:30-3:00
Science or Social Studies
3:00-3:10
Handwriting
3:10-4:00
Writing
4:00-4:05
Prep for Dismissal
4:05-4:15
Dismissal

TEACHERS:
Teachers at Blackstone Valley Elementary 2 School most teachers have been teaching for four to ten years. This is less that the state average, but still a high amount.There are a total of 407 full time teachers, and 28 part-time teachers. The majority of teachers have either a masters or bachelors degree, and a few have a doctorate degree in education. At Blackstone Valley, there are no librarians or volunteer teacher aids, but there are paid teacher aides, along with many other teachers as shown in the graph below. Most teachers assign their students half an hour to an hour of homework which is more than the state average of no homework to half an hour of homework. The school requires teachers to have weekly, or monthly meetings with their department to touch base on how they're doing, and talk about what's working and what's not.

Primary Role:
Classroom teacher
273
Team Leader
6
Guidance Counselor
5
Teacher's Aid (paid)
18
Teacher' Aid (volunteer)
0
Student Teacher or Intern
1
Arts Resource teacher
6
Librarian
0
ESL/ Bilingual Teacher
1
Speech Pathologist
3
Social Worker
9
Learning Coordinator
3
Reading Specialist
13
School Psychologist
1
Special Education Teacher
38
Vocational/ Technical
9
Other
48

SCORES AND RESULTS:
Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary 2 School is a highly recommended school. 98.4% of families with children that attend the school recommend it. The average grade for student performance is a B+. The grade for subgroup performance is a B, and the grade for the attempt to close this achievement gap is a C+. These grades are higher those of the Cumberland School District as a whole. Cumberland received a B for student performance, a C for subgroup performance, and a C- in closing the achievement gap for students.

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT:
The majority of parents say that they are very involved with their childrens education at Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary 2 School. 94.9% of parents said they know what their child is studying in class, and 98.3% said they feel very welcome in the school. Parents at this school attend many events that are held, as shown below. Parent to teacher communication is very common at this school, whether it's in person, over an e-mail, or a phone call. Most parents agree that it is very easy to get in contact with their children's teachers and principal.
Parent Participation:
Parent-Teacher Conferences
103
Special Events
76
Plays, Concerts, Dances
101
Book Fairs
46
Sporting Events
8
PTA Meetings
52
Workshops about helping children
34
Department Nights
53
Field Trips
47
School Improvement Meetings
23
IEP Meetings
16
After-School Program Events
32
Other
4
I am not Aware of any of these
0










Citations:

Blackstone Valley Prep. (n.d.). Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy. Retrieved from http://www.blackstonevalleyprep.org/about-us/our-approach
RIDE. (n.d.). InfoWorks. Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/blackstone-valley-prep-elementary-2-school

Blackstone Valley Prep Elementary School. (n.d.). RI-CAN. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://www.ri-can.org/report-cards/blackstone-valley-prep- elementary-school

“RISchools - Blackstone Valley Description.” Accessed November 1, 2013. http://rischools.wikispaces.com/Blackstone+Valley+Description.

“Surveyworks-2012-2013-blackstone-valley-prep-elementary-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf.” Accessed November 1, 2013.http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/files/surveyworks/2012-2013/combined/surveyworks-2012-2013-blackstone-valley-prep-elementary-school-student-parent-teacher-es.pdf.